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VON TROIL’S LETTERS ON ICELAND. | 669
might by it be informed of the defigns of their powerful neighbours, and take the beft
and molt neceflary meafures to oppofe thofe who only wifhed for an opportunity of fub-
jeCting them to their yoke.
It is true they had no fchools or public feminaries for the inftru€tion of youth in the
{ciences, before the introduction of the Chriftian religion ; but it was, however, not
altogether neglected, for they took great pains, befides inuring the bodies of their
young men to feats of ftrength and agility, and teaching them fuch exercifes as enabled
them to defend themfelves and their countrymen, to in{trué them alfo in hiftory, re-
ligion, and law. ‘Thence we find in their ancient chronicles frequent mention of per-
fons who had made confiderable progrefs in thefe fciences, and even before they re-
ceived the Chriftian religion there were a number in the country well verfed in the
laws.
In their frequent voyages, before the ufe of the compafs (Leitarftain) was known to:
them, they difcovered new countries, when driven out of their courfe, which were how-
ever deferted almoft as foon as difcovered : however, fome, if notall of them, have been
difcovered in later times.
Thus Bjorn Herjulfson, in a voyage he made to fee his father in Greenland, was
driven by a ftrong north-wind upon a flat woody country, from whench he afterwards
reached his father, after a long and troublefome voyage, without thinking any more of
his new difcovery. After the death of his father, he again returned to Norway ;
where the account of his voyage raifed an inclination in Leifer to go in fearch of this
country. He therefore fet fail with thirty-five men, and at firft landed on a mountain-
ous country covered with {now, without the leaft appearance of verdure: from whence
he continued his voyage, and came to another country which was flat and woody ;
this he named Markland. He fet fail again with a north-eaft wind, and in two days
time arrived at an ifland which lay north of the continent. He now entered weftward
into a ftraight where his fhip ftruck on the fand at low water; he then had it drawn
afhore with cables, and having built a houfe, remained there the whole winter: here
they did not experience the leaft cold, and the grafs only grew a little reddifh in win-
ter. The days were not of fo unequal a length as in Iceland; and the fun appeared
above the horizon on the fhorteft day, both when they breakfafted and at fupper-time.
The vine and wheat both grew wild, and this occafioned their giving the name of Vine-
land to the country. This gives us room to conjecture that he advanced pretty far
towards the fouth of America. They afterwards carried on a trade with the natives
of the country, whom they called Skralingar, for a long time, which, however, ceafed
at lalt, and the country, and even its name, are now totally forgotten.
Poetry formerly flourifhed very much in Iceland ; Egil Skalla Grimfon, Cormak Og-
mundfon, Glum Gierfon, Thorleif, Jarlar Skald, Sighvatr, Thordfon, Gunlaug Orm-
ftunga, and Skad Ralfn, are celebrated as great poets. ‘The art of writing was not,
however, much in ufe till after the year ‘1000. It is true the Runic characters were
known in the country before that period, and moft probably brought thither from
Norway. Though we have no reafon to believe they were cut upon ftones, as was
practifed among us (no Runic ftones having been found there, whofe age reaches to
to the times of paganifm); they ufed, however, to feratch them on bucklers, and
fometimes on their ceilings and walls: and the Laxdaela Saga makes mention of one
Olof of Hiardarhult, who had a large houfe built, on the beams and rafters of which
remarkable itories are faid to have been marked, in the fame manner as Thorkil Hake
eut an account of his own deeds on his bedftead and chair, That Runic characters
were made ufe of before the introduction of the Chriftian religion, may be proved by.
Olo
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